Bone Marrow & blood Stem Cell Donation

36

7

Health Promotion

Public Health

No

No

What would you like to do?

What you need to know

Page Content

Text Nebraska to 61474 to join the Registry.

Thousands of people with blood cancers and other diseases - like sickle cell anemia - need a marrow or blood stem cell transplant to survive. Most don't have a fully matched donor in their family. That's why donors are needed.

70% of those needing a marrow transplant don't have a fully-matched donor in their family.

14,000 people annually rely on transplants from someone outside their family.

To join the Be The Match registry, people need to meet age and health guidelines and be willing to donate to any patient in need. Registration involves completing a health history form and giving a swab of cheek cells.

People between the ages of 18 and 44 are most urgently needed since they are requested by transplant doctors more than 86% of the time, and research shows that these donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success.

People between the ages of 45 and 60 who want to join the registry can do so with a $100 tax-deductible payment.

Because genetic markers used in matching are inherited, donors are most likely to match someone who shares the same ethnic background. The likelihood of having a matched, available donor on the Be The Match registry ranges from 23% to 77% - depending on the ethnic background.